Foundation
Weeks 1–6
Sep 28, 2026–Nov 8, 2026
Set the routine, grow easy volume gradually, and finish each week with enough control to repeat it.
20-Week Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon Training Plan
Fort Lauderdale, FLFebruary 14, 2027
Start around September 27, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon.
The Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon starts downtown at 5:50 in the morning, in the dark, and runs two loops along A1A with the Atlantic beside you, finishing on the beach. You reach the northern turnaround twice, and after the second one it's a straight shot south to the line.
- Race day
- February 14, 2027
- Start window
- September 27, 2026
- Runway
- 20 weeks
- Course
- two loops of A1A and a finish on the beach
- Plan choice
- Current training
Does this window fit your starting point?
Use the longer window to make the early build calmer, not to add five months of hard training. The plan should begin close to your current load, hold most running easy, and delay the biggest race-specific work until the middle of the cycle.
- You want a longer foundation phase before marathon-specific training.
- Your current mileage is steady but below the load you expect to carry later.
- You prefer gradual long-run growth with regular step-back weeks.
- You can sustain a five-month routine without turning every week into a peak week.
The 20-week Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon calendar
These dates define the job of each phase. Your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days still decide the actual workouts inside them.
Build
Weeks 7–13
Nov 9, 2026–Dec 27, 2026
Extend the long run, introduce race-specific terrain, and keep recovery weeks on the calendar.
Peak
Weeks 14–17
Dec 28, 2026–Jan 24, 2027
Complete the most demanding race rehearsals and settle fueling, pacing, shoes, and clothing before taper begins.
Taper
Weeks 18–20
Jan 25, 2027–Feb 14, 2027
Reduce the load, keep familiar running in the week, and let the work from the previous four months show up on race day.
Make the window specific to Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon.
Build general durability first. Add the race's hills, flat sustained running, downhill exposure, heat, or humidity in layers after the weekly rhythm is stable, then make the final long runs the most course-specific.
Read the full race guideHow to train for the A1A Marathon
Train for the A1A Marathon as a flat race, which means pace discipline rather than strength is the limiter. A course with no hills gives your legs no change of rhythm for the entire distance, so the same fibers do the same job for three, four or five hours. Long continuous goal pace work is the specific preparation for that.
Build long runs that end with 8 to 12 unbroken miles at goal pace on genuinely flat ground. Runners who train on rolling terrain often find flat racing surprisingly punishing, because the small variations they'd been relying on to redistribute the load are simply gone.
Then train the clock, not just the legs. A 5:50 a.m. start means waking somewhere around 3:30, and it means the first hour is run in the dark. Do a handful of long runs at that hour, eat the breakfast you plan to eat on race day at that hour, and find out now whether your stomach cooperates.
Last, prepare for the repetition. Break the race into segments in advance, decide what you'll do at each turnaround, and make the second loop a plan rather than a discovery.
Let your current training decide the actual plan.
Current mileage, recent longest run, marathon experience, goal, and available days determine which plans rank first. After you choose and subscribe, Stride dates every workout through February 14, 2027.
20-week Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon plan questions, answered.
When should I start a 20-week Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon plan?
The 2027 Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon is scheduled for February 14, 2027, so the 20-week window opens around September 27, 2026. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.
Is a 20-week plan long enough for the Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon?
Use the longer window to make the early build calmer, not to add five months of hard training. The plan should begin close to your current load, hold most running easy, and delay the biggest race-specific work until the middle of the cycle. The course does not change the opening load you can handle, so choose from your current mileage and recent longest run before adding race-specific terrain.
How should I prepare for the Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon course in 20 weeks?
Build general durability first. Add the race's hills, flat sustained running, downhill exposure, heat, or humidity in layers after the weekly rhythm is stable, then make the final long runs the most course-specific. Train for the A1A Marathon as a flat race, which means pace discipline rather than strength is the limiter. A course with no hills gives your legs no change of rhythm for the entire distance, so the same fibers do the same job for three, four or five hours. Long continuous goal pace work is the specific preparation for that.
What if the 20-week Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon window has already started?
Do not double weeks or cram missed mileage into the remaining calendar. Use your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days to choose a plan that can enter at an appropriate point while preserving the taper.
Is the Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon flat?
Yes. The A1A Marathon runs two loops along the oceanfront road in Fort Lauderdale and the organizers describe it as fast and flat, with a section through Birch State Park at miles 5 to 7. There's no meaningful climbing. The difficulty is holding one pace with nothing in the terrain to break the rhythm.
What time does the A1A Marathon start and how long do you get?
The marathon starts at 5:50 a.m. and the course stays open about six hours and fifteen minutes, from 5:45 a.m. to noon. After that, walkers can continue on the sidewalk and the finish area operates until 1:30 p.m. Plan on running the first hour of the race in the dark.
Put the 20-week window against your actual race.
Each page counts back from race day, maps the 4 phases to real dates, and applies the window to that course and its typical conditions.